Iran's Execution Rate Hits Highest Level Since 1989 in 2025

Tehran. The use of the death penalty in Iran saw an alarming surge in 2025. According to two international human rights organizations, at least 1,639 people were executed that year. This figure marks the highest number since 1989 and signals the state's use of capital punishment as a tool for repression.

A joint report released by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) indicates that this number is 68 percent higher than in 2024, when 975 people were executed. Among those executed, 48 were women, the highest number in the last two decades.

The report notes that an average of more than four people were executed daily, and this figure is considered a 'minimum estimate' as many cases are not officially disclosed. IHR maintains a policy of requiring two independent sources to confirm an execution.

Analysts suggest that this increase in 2025 is not merely a criminal justice matter but a political message. IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stated, "By carrying out four to five executions daily to create an atmosphere of fear, the government appears to be attempting to suppress potential dissent."

The report warns that the situation could become even more severe following protests in January 2026. Activists report that hundreds of protesters are in custody, facing serious charges that carry the risk of the death penalty. Previous protests were met with harsh crackdowns, with claims of thousands killed and tens of thousands arrested.

Iran has not halted executions even during the war against Israel and the United States that began on February 28. According to the report, seven individuals linked to the January protests were hanged, including members of the banned opposition group 'People's Mojahedin of Iran' and a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen.

ECPM Executive Director Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan accused the state of using the death penalty as a 'tool for political control.' He noted that ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Kurds and Baluchis, are disproportionately affected.

Nearly half of those executed were convicted of drug-related offenses. Regarding the 48 women executed, 21 were convicted of murdering their husbands or fiancés. Rights groups claim many of these women were in violent or abusive relationships.

The report also highlights an increase in public executions in 2025. While most executions are carried out within prisons, public hangings tripled to 11.

Although Iranian law permits various methods of execution, almost all sentences in recent years have been carried out by hanging. Human rights organizations state that Iran is one of the countries with the highest per capita execution rates in the world. China is claimed to be in second place, although its statistics are not publicly available.